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Madagascar Army Unit Seizes Power Amid Cheering Crowds

Madagascar Army Unit Seizes Power Amid Cheering Crowds

2 days ago7 min read8 comments

The tanks rolled into the heart of Antananarivo not with the thunder of opposition, but with the roar of public acclamation, a stark and immediate shift in the political landscape of Madagascar that saw an elite army unit seize power from President Andry Rajoelina in what appeared to be a stunningly popular coup. This is not a quiet, clandestine takeover; this is a public spectacle, a military intervention baptized in the cheers of crowds that flooded the streets of the capital, waving flags and celebrating the soldiers as liberators rather than oppressors.The unit, identified as the Special Forces Command, moved with surgical precision in the early hours, securing government buildings, the national broadcaster, and key communication hubs, cutting the president off from his chain of command before he could even issue a statement. Initial reports are fragmented, chaotic, emerging from social media feeds and hushed satellite phone calls, but the visual narrative is undeniable: uniformed soldiers, their berets tilted at confident angles, being hoisted onto the shoulders of civilians, a scene more reminiscent of a victory parade than a military putsch.The immediate trigger appears to be a deepening political and economic crisis that has gripped the island nation for months, with Rajoelina's government facing escalating allegations of corruption and a crippling inability to curb soaring inflation and widespread poverty, a powder keg waiting for a spark. This spark, it seems, was lit by a faction of the military that has grown disillusioned with the civilian leadership, viewing itself not as a tool of the state but as the ultimate arbiter of the nation's destiny.The international community is now scrambling; the African Union has an emergency session convening in Addis Ababa, while former colonial power France and regional heavyweight South Africa are issuing cautious statements calling for restraint and the immediate restoration of constitutional order, but their leverage is limited when the usurpers are being feted by the populace. Historically, Madagascar is no stranger to such upheavals, with this event marking the fourth successful coup since the country gained independence in 1960, a cyclical pattern of political instability that has consistently thwarted long-term development and scared away foreign investment.The critical question now is what comes next: will this military faction install a transitional council of technocrats, or will the general now leading the unit simply declare himself the new head of state? The cheering crowds today may soon face the grim reality of martial law, economic sanctions, and international isolation, a familiar script in this part of the world where the euphoria of revolution often gives way to the grim pragmatism of authoritarian rule. All communication lines to the presidential palace remain dead, the fate of Rajoelina himself is unknown, and the silence from the barracks of other military divisions is deafening, suggesting either tacit support or a calculated wait-and-see approach. This is a fluid, dangerous, and rapidly evolving situation, a classic breaking news event where the first draft of history is being written not in press releases, but in the movement of armored personnel carriers and the volatile will of the people.